


Absolution // Kit Harington

by Lucifers_Left_Lung



Category: Game of Thrones RPF
Genre: Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2016-10-06
Packaged: 2018-08-19 16:11:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8216311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucifers_Left_Lung/pseuds/Lucifers_Left_Lung
Summary: Mara Higgins knew Kit Harington once, but they didn't exactly leave things on good terms. Mara is still stuck in the same dead-end job she's been at for years, so when she sees Kit, who is now a huge star, she isn't exactly ready to be humiliated. Not to mention the fact that she still can't even stand to look at him. But of course her luck would be so bad that he would walk into her workplace. As much as Mara wants to forget Kit Harington, she can't - especially when he seems to be everywhere - so it comes down to actually having to talk to him. Will they be able to move on from their past, or will they only ruin each others' futures?[short story - 3/4 parts]©2016//Lucifers-Left-Lung





	1. Chapter 1

Mara Higgins was leaning against the side of the record store where she worked when she saw him. It had been almost three years since Mara had last seen Kit Harington. Of course, since then, he'd gained a lot of recognition and success, but that didn't mean she wanted to talk to him. The two of them had left things on pretty bad terms and she was in no hurry to straighten them out. So, rather than stand outside and wait for Kit to notice her―and possibly even talk to her―Mara tossed her cigarette on the ground, stomping it out, before going back inside.

The record store was pretty chill. Mara had been working there for almost two years now and she loved it. She got to play whatever music she wanted and she could spend the day reading. Basically, it was her dream job. You know, if she ignored her real dream to be a writer. Which Mara usually did, even when her parents were constantly asking her when she was going to get her life together and "get out of that godawful record store."

Mara was just settling in to begin the next chapter in her book when she heard the bell over the door ring. She didn't look up; she rarely did. People would typically look around for a long while. They didn't usually need her for anything except to pay. Another perk. She didn't really have to deal with the general population much.

As Mara suspected, it was about another half hour or so before the customer finally arrived at the register. She put her book down and started ringing them up without looking at them. Yeah, bad people skills.

"Mara?" Mara stopped, closing her eyes in exasperation. Of course. "How have you been?"

When she looked up, Mara realized that it was Kit she was ringing up. "I'm great," she replied with a bitter smile. "$25.92."

Kit took out his wallet and handed her a credit card. "We don't take cards, sorry."

"This is LA, who doesn't take cards?" his friend asked.

Mara shrugged. "Do you have cash or not?" She knew she could get in trouble if her boss ever heard her talking to a customer the way she was talking to Kit, but she just couldn't bring herself to be civil with him. Not after their past.

A bit awkwardly, Kit handed Mara thirty dollars and waited for her to hand him back his change. Mara's hands were a bit shakey, but she tried to hide it as she gave him what she owed him back.

When she looked up, Kit's gaze was already on her. He lingered a few seconds, before his friend told him they had to go. "It was nice to see you," he said to her.

"Yeah," Mara said as he walked out the door.

* * *

Just when Mara thought her day couldn't get any worse, she walked straight into the madness of Game of Thrones on her way home. How could she have forgotten that it was premiere night? That there would be a thousand fans littering the streets of Los Angeles for who knew how many hours? Seeing Kit had really messed her up.

"Excuse me," Mara almost shouted, trying to shove through the crowd. These people were relentless, though, and before she knew it, Mara was stuck, surrounded by people. At least she was by the gate, so that was something.

The limos pulled up minutes later and the fans went wild. Meanwhile, Mara was just standing there, reading her book, trying to ignore the screaming in her ears and the fools shoving against her. She hadn't thought they could get any crazier, but she suddenly heard all the people around her start screaming louder and shoving harder. Mara's book hit the pavement and she cursed, finally looking up to see what the hell they all were freaking out about.

And looked right into the face of Kit Harington. He was holding her book and smiling slightly at her, wearing a dark blue suit, his curly hair tucked behind his ears.

"Is this yours?" he asked Mara, raising his voice over the fans around them.

Mara took the book from him. "Thanks."

"I didn't expect you to come to one of these things."

Rolling her eyes, Mara put the book into her messenger bag. "I didn't. I didn't mean to." Kit laughed and she frowned at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's not funny. I was trying to get home and then I caught in...this."

Kit nodded to one of the guards and he moved the gate so Mara could step out into the road with Kit. "Thank you," she said and started walking toward her house.

Kit caught up to her. "Don't you wanna come inside for the premiere?" he asked. "Or are you one of those people who aren't into Game of Thrones?"

"Oh, I'm into Game of Thrones," Mara snapped. "I'm just not into you. Or being around you. So please let me go home."

Kit's expression fell a bit. Why was it so important to him to talk to her all of a sudden? "Okay," he said. "Get home safely."

 


	2. Chapter 2

That night, Mara couldn't stop thinking about Kit. For three years, she'd managed to keep him off her mind, for the most part, distracting herself with meaningless lovers and too much booze. But now that he was in town and seemingly everywhere she turned, it was hard to forget him. Hard to forget their past and how things had ended between them.

Mara lived in a flat a few blocks from the record store and she could hear the fans still down the street. The premiere was still going on and no matter how loud Mara turned her television, she  could still hear them. With an annoyed sigh, she walked out onto the balcony for a smoke. The screams were even louder outside and she could just see the crowd. The cast appeared to just be walking out of the premiere. Most of them hung around, but Mara saw a limo coming her  way.

The limousine stopped just below her. No. It couldn't be him.

Kit got of out of the car and looked up at Mara. She frowned down at him. "Can I come up?" he asked. He was in that tux, his dark hair still pushed behind his ears, hands in his pockets. He hadn't changed.

"No," Mara said, taking a long drag off her cigarette.

"I thought you quit smoking."

"I did."

Kit sighed and looked down at his feet, then back up at her with those damned puppy dog eyes of his. "Please let me come up," he said. "We need to talk about it."

"No, we really don't."

"So we're just going to hate each other forever?"

"Basically."

"I don't want that, Mara."

"I don't care what you want." But even as she said it, Mara knew that he was right. What was the point in them just hating each other forever? It was exhausting and she was ready to move on, to be over it. "Goddammit," she cursed. "Come on up."

As quickly as she could, Mara started cleaning her apartment. There were clothes everywhere and dirty dishes, beer cans and ashtrays full of cigarette butts. She tossed her clothes into her  room, put the dishes in the sink (he wouldn't be going into the kitchen), emptied the ashtrays and threw away the beer cans. It's amazing how quickly you can clean something when you don't want someone to know that you're ruined.

Kit knocked on the door a second after Mara had finished cleaning up. She was in boy-shorts and a tank top, her hair now in a towel after her recent shower. He'd seen her in worse situations. Mara opened the door and Kit looked her up and down, smirking. She rolled her eyes and closed the door after him.

"You didn't change anything," he commented, looking around what used to be _their_ apartment.

"Why would I?" Mara asked, sitting on the couch and taking out another cigarette. She was stress-smoking. That's totally a thing.

Kit stood there awkwardly. "Can I sit?" he asked her. Mara nodded. "You should really stop that―"

"You don't get to say things like that to me anymore."

"I'm just―"

"What do you want, Kit?"

With a heavy sigh, Kit looked down at his hands that were clasped in front of him, his elbows resting on his knees. His hair was no longer tucked back, but falling over his face, hiding his expression. Mara had seen him like this before―they'd been together nearly as long as they'd been separated, two-and-a-half years. There was something on Kit's mind, something he wanted to say, but couldn't bring himself to.

"Please," Mara said, putting her cigarette out and resisting the urge to immediately light another, "the suspense is killing me."

Kit looked up at her through dark lashes, those near-black eyes of his seeming to stare right through her. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Mara's heart was pounding. Those were the two words she'd been waiting to hear, weren't they? So why was it so hard to finally hear them? She knew why. Because she didn't want to forgive Kit. She didn't want to move on, because then what would Mara put all her energy into? For so long, she'd put so much time and energy into despising this man―what was she supposed to do when she couldn't do that anymore? Mara didn't have a purpose, she didn't have a lot of friends or even a family. The only thing she'd known for too long was either loving Kit or hating him. He defined her.

"Say something," Kit said, shattering the tense silence between them.

"What do you want me to say?" Mara replied, trying to hide the shakiness of her voice. "That I forgive you?"

"Only if you do."


	3. Chapter 3

_Three years earlier..._

Mara looked at the clock for what felt like the hundredth time. It was almost two in the morning and Kit still wasn't home. She knew that he had been down lately, frustrated from his lack of work. Even though he'd been going to audition after audition, he still hadn't gotten any call-backs. Mara felt bad for him, but that was no excuse for him to stay out all night and keep her worrying.

As Mara was getting ready to call Kit again, he stumbled through the door. He was clearly drunk, Mara could smell it on him, see it in the glassiness of his eyes. Kit's hair was disheveled, his clothes a mess. This would be the third time in two weeks that Mara would have to clean him up and put him to bed. She was getting pretty frustrated herself. But she loved Kit. So she would keep doing it until he figured things out.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Kit asked her as he plopped down on the couch.

"Like what?" she asked. She knew what he was talking about, though. Mara couldn't hide the look of disappointment and worry that crossed her face whenever she saw Kit like this. He wasn't supposed to be some drunk in a crappy apartment. He was meant to be somebody.

Kit shook his head and glared at her. "Like you're so disappointed in me," replied snarkily. "Like you're disgusted with me."

"Kit, I'm not disgusted with you." He wanted to fight, but Mara would try her best not to. Her mother had been an alcoholic, so she had lots of practice. "I just wish you wouldn't drink―"

"What do you want me to do?" Kit almost shouted. "I can't get a job. It's been bloody weeks and no call-back from anyone! All I do is sit around here, hoping someone will think I'm talented enough to do _something_. Meanwhile, you're off doing God knows what, with God knows who―And then you come home and act all high and mighty, looking at me like you're so much better."

"Where is this all coming from?" Mara asked him, her feelings actually hurt. To Hell with not fighting. He was taking it too far.

Kit stood and rolled his eyes as he took off his jacket. And that's when she saw it, the _literal_ lipstick on his collar. "What the hell is that?" Mara asked him angrily.

"Just some girl at the bar," he replied, shrugging it off.

Mara tried to bite back the tears that had sprung to her eyes. She'd never seen Kit behaving like this. They'd been together for a while and he'd always treated her with respect, never given her a reason not to trust him. But this―this was―she didn't have words.

"Just some girl at the bar? And what―you let her hang all over you?"

"I really don't want to do this right now, Mara."

"Well, I do. I've been nothing but supportive of you, Kit. Every time you have an audition, I'm always there. When you go out and get drunk, I'm always here to clean you up. Every single time you stumble, Kit, I'm here to pick you up. And you have the audacity to treat me like this? What the hell is your problem?"

Kit slammed his fit into the wall angrily, cracking it; Mara jumped. "It's you," he said. "You're the problem. You're dragging me down. Before I met you, I had a plan. And then you came along and ruined everything. I wish I'd never met you."

Kit stalked into their room and slammed the door. Mara heard him collapse on the bed. She let the tears fall freely now, sliding down the wall into a heap of self-pity. How had things gotten like this? Did Kit really hate her so much? She didn't know. But it was time to do something about it.

The next morning, when Kit got up, his things were packed and waiting by the door. Mara didn't say anything and Kit didn't ask any questions. He was gone by the end of the day. That was the last time Mara saw him.


	4. Chapter 4

_Present day..._

"You blamed me," Mara said. Kit was sitting across from her. He'd been waiting for her to tell him she forgave him, but she wasn't sure she had. "You said you wished you'd never met me."

Kit sighed and moved over to sit near her. There was still a good foot between them, but it was progress. "I don't know who I was back then," he said slowly. "I was lost and I felt like I was failing to accomplish my dreams. I took it out on you because you were the only one there. And―You were so good, it was frustrating. It was frustrating to have you there, watching me spiral, watching me and still putting up with it. You didn't deserve that and I guess...I guess I just wanted to push you away, so you could live your own life and not have to take care of me."

Mara choked on a sob, her face in her hands. She felt Kit's hand on her shoulder. "I loved you," she said. "You hurt me."

"I know. I'm so sorry." Kit pulled Mara to him. She had missed the smell of him, the feel of his arms around her. "I never stopped thinking about you," he continued, "never stopped loving you."

Mara looked up at Kit through tear-stained eyes. "You love me?" she asked him.

"Always."

Kit and Mara sat there like that for a long time, Kit's arms around Mara, Mara inhaling the scent of him, allowing herself to forgive him.

* * *

_One month later..._

Mara and Kit were both covered in lilac paint. They were supposed to be painting their apartment―they needed a change―but had only ended up painting each other. That was okay, though. Mara was just happy that things were going well between them. Ever since the night they'd talked things through, they had slowly been repairing their relationship. At first it was just friendly, but they realized they couldn't just be friends. Now, they were happier than ever.

Kit was still doing his acting thing, something that Mara still supported. And Mara had began working on her first real novel. The only real problem the two of them had was that they couldn't decide what color to paint the kitchen.

But that was just fine.


End file.
